Deceased victim of Hilltown home invasion identified, truck found

HILLTOWN — Authorities discovered a deceased male resident — identified as 48-year-old Joseph Canazaro — in a home at 321 Swartley Road on Friday morning following an armed home invasion, according to Chris Engelhart, chief of the township’s police department.

He said two survivors, a woman and a 12-year-old boy, bound by the invaders fled the home and called authorities from a neighbor’s home.

“The investigation is very fluid,” he told reporters early Friday afternoon standing near the bottom of the long driveway. “We’re following several leads.”

Engelhardt told reporters Friday afternoon that Canazaro and the woman — his girlfriend — did not own the home.

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Engelhart told the assembled media an older child who lives at the home left for school before the invasion, and that both children and the woman were currently being debriefed by detectives at the Hilltown police headquarters.

The two suspected invaders, both of whom were wearing masks and carrying handguns, fled the scene in a black Lincoln pickup truck owned by one of the residents, according to the chief. The truck has since been found in Upper Bucks County, but police declined to reveal the exact location.

He said subjects should be considered armed and dangerous, and that additional weapons may have been taken from the home.

Authorities were notified of the incident around 10 a.m., according to Engelhart.

He said police have not determined how the suspects — described as a Hispanic male 5-foot, 9-inches tall, and a “smaller Asian male” wearing a black jacket and cargo pants — got to the house.

“Figuring out how they came to pick this location,” is part of the investigation,” Engelhart said.

The two men were inside the home, on multiple floors, for several hours, but it’s still unknown why and for how long, according to police.

The chief confirmed that Canazaro’s body was discovered in a different part of the house than where the three people “were originally accosted.”

Authorities did not see any evidence of a particular struggle, according to Engelhart.

He said the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigations volunteered to assist to township and Bucks County authorities in the investigation.

“It’s not unusual for them to get involved in cases like this,” Engelhart said.

The chief said he was unaware of any bank books being taken from the residence.